Floating Master says....Float!!!!

We all love our phones and tablets right? They help us do so much throughout our daily lives like finding recipes or directions on the fly. Even Goggling something from the couch is now easier then ever. Now I want you to ask yourself is this a form of multi-tasking or is it just an easier way of doing things?

How about flipping through Google+ or Facebook and watching a movie on your tablet? Sure you can fire up the TV and watch it while you "Tab" it. What if you could watch that same movie on your tablet while using favorite app on your tablet or phone?

GPlayer is a floating video player that hovers over any app you have open. It can be enlarged or shrunk to fit the portion of the screen you desire. The app is made by GPC which also has two other apps in my collection as well. I have it loaded on both my SII and my ASUS Transformer. It works perfectly on both but is really ideal for the tablet.

Gplayer (Super Video Floating)

Have you ever found yourself with a cluttered screen and had to make the decision to remove some app and folders from it. You usually end up deleting one app cause you think you use the other one more and then it becomes a back and forth game. What if you could have any app on your screen, but be invisible until your ready for it.

Floating Banner by GPC does this in a very effective way. The free version allows you to add three widgets and 5 apps. It wasn't long before I saw the potential of the app and went pro. Whatever version you pick the app works the same.

On your home screen you should see a floating cloud in the top left corner. Click on it and your Floating Banner will appear. You can re-size the banner by holding the bottom right corner and dragging it. The green dots at the bottom are the scroll bar, which allows you to access everything you chose. On the top of the banner there are shortcuts to a voice recorder, GPlayer, add more apps, refresh, and close. Play with the setup options until you find the right look and feel that fits your needs.

Floating Banner 2.0

Still have a cluttered screen? If you are anything like me then I am sure you have more then just a few apps that you use regularly. But having them all on your screen requires either a bunch of folders or multiple screens.

Unless you use the next item on the list, Floating Menu. This has become one of my favorite apps quick. Setting this one up is as easy as enabling it, checking which apps you want to show on it, and picking the size to be displayed on the screen. It will then sit on either the left or right side of your screen.

Word of caution though, don't use too many apps with it, because you want to allow it to move freely up and down freely as not to get in the way of the keyboard while typing. Also some apps like Google+ have a button in the top right corner. The only downside to the app is the lack of a fade option. This would come in handy while trying to read but for the ability it brings I have been able to look past this limitation because it remains responsive when set to a small size.

Floating Menu (Free)
Floating Menu 

What about those moments where you just want to write something down for later on.

For quick notes try Floating Stickies. This is not an app for full-on note taking but for quick reminders. It has three different colors: blue, yellow, and pink. The note can be stored by dragging it to the left side of the screen. When you are fished with it, clicking the x will delete it.

Floating Stickies

How about quick web surfing?

Popup Web Browser is good when you want to search something and compare it to another webpage side by side. I wouldn't recommend setting it as your default browser though as with my experience it has an issue downloading things.

Popup Web Browser

Do you need a quick camera?

Pop-up Camera is nice as long as you use the widget. Opening the app from the app icon gives you full screen but the widget gives you a small screen for those in a hurry shots. It comes in both the free and the pro versions.

Popup Camera(No Sound)
Ultimate Popup Camera(No Sound)

What about music? Yep got that one covered too.

Audio Master Floating is made by the same people that make GPlayer and Floating Banner. So you know it's your answer to music. It doesn't have any major frills, but it does play music and it does have the volume shortcut keys for next and previous song while the screen is off.

Audio Master Floating

How many of you actually look forward to using your status bar?

Floating Notifications is bar far my most favorite app in this list. It can be set up to display any notification app in a floating icon on your screen. Current development is.... a secret..... but big, big things are expected for this app.

Floating Notifications (Trial)

Floating Notifications Unlock

You can see all of these in action in the video below, with the exception of GPlayer and Pop-up Camera. I use Screencast to record my videos and it can not record videos being played on the screen.

Recent suggestions have got me  examining apps that could replace or even compliment some on this list. Check back later to see if any of these get replaced.

 

Make YNAB your new financial best friend

Do you have trouble making the money from your last check make it until your next check? If Something on your car broke, would you be able to cover the bill, or would you have to charge it? If you answered yes to either of those questions, I have the answer for you and it's called You Need A Budget, or YNAB for short. 

As long as I have been on my own, I've been the guy living paycheck-to-paycheck. This year I began a change in my life, and finances was one of the areas in need of immediate improvement. Sure I had a system of paying bills, buying groceries, all the mundane stuff that comes with money. The only problem I had was not being able to set aside any money for a rainy day, or a date night with the lady, or the bills that won't go away. Money was tight and we could never get ahead.

Follow me past the break to see how YNAB changed my financial life.  

Welcome to What Scar Knows

Welcome one and all to my blog. My name is Spencer, and I go by Scar107 on XDA and Steam, as well as many other sites. I love everything that has anything to do with technology an science. I hope to make my blog beneficial to all that read it, by covering topics related to, Android, Windows, Ubuntu, the soon to be released OUYA game console, Science, Astronomy, Top News stories, and just about anything else I feel could be shared.

I am currently in college for computer information technologies, because of my love for technology. I have a Samsung Galaxy S II, running TBSGS3 custom ROM and an ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T, running CYanogenMod 10.1 custom ROM. I run Windows 7 on my laptop, but I look forward to the day when I can cut the strings and only use Ubuntu as my daily OS. I recently bought the new OUYA game Console, which should be here in late June, so I will be talking about it a lot.

My other passion is knowledge, I love reading news stories from all subjects, technology, astronomy, business  and even politics  I will be talking about news everyday, as I come by it. If it interests me I will be more then likely to post it here as well. This isn't my first time writing a blog either, as I used to write for Talk Android, covering everything Android and anything mobile. I like that idea, but I want to bring more to the people.

I hope you like what you find here, and pass it along to your friends. Over the coming weeks I will be adding more, so be on the lookout, and don't mind the mess, as this is still a site under construction.